The subject matter described herein relates to an inventory and anti-theft alarm system using Radio Frequency Identification, a/k/a “RFID”.
In current RFID technology, if an RFID inventory tag is removed from an item of merchandise and the RFID inventory tag is left on premises (e.g., the original location of where the item of merchandise was located) but the associated item is stolen, an RFID tag inventory scan would locate the RFID tag and consider the item accounted for. These inventory scans are typically done with an RFID handheld device or an antenna array and the scans fails to detect the actual item of merchandise as missing from the premises because the tag can still be located. This leads to a false conclusion that the item of merchandise associated with the tag is still on the premises.
Security and inventory management are sensitive issues in retail management of small as well as big stores that offer a range of products to their customers. Such stores generally have global and local strategies of security and anti-theft. The stores generally fix the prices of their products with pre-printed labels. These prices, however, may quickly change in reaction to variable factors such as (1) change in supply and demand, (2) Holiday shopping season sales or (3) any other quick response dependent events. When these prices change, an employee must physically go to each item and change the price. This process is time consuming and has many chances for human error e.g., mismarking an item with a wrong price.
Various computer based systems for security merchandise management have been used in the past. These systems generally include a detection mechanism that identifies the movement of merchandise stored at predefined locations in the stores. Other inventory management and security systems include tags on products that transmit signals to a server using radio signals for security purposes. These systems proved to be useful to monitor the merchandise in the stores, however, the tags are very delicate and have very short battery lifespan.